Iron holder



June 21, 1949. 5. Y. SHEPARD, SR 2,473,

IRON HOLDER Filed Sept. 15, 1947 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. STANLEY Y. SHEPARD, 3/?- ATTORNEY v June 21, 1949 5. SHEPARD, s 2,473,731

IRON HOLDER Filed Sept. 15, .1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. STANLEY Y. SHEPARQSR ATTORNEY Patented June 21, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IRON HOLDER Stanley Y. Shepard, Sn, Atherton, Calif. Application September 15, 1947, Serial No. 773,952

2 Claims.

v The invention, in general, relates to means for supporting or suspending articles in spaced relationship to a work table or the like for preventing damage to such work table through accidental misuse of the article or inadvertent maintenance thereof in a heated condition on or adjacent to the work table. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved laundry iron holder affording effective support for a hot iron with no likelihood of accidental dislodgement of the iron from the holder or tipping of the holder itself.

As is perhaps well known, a number of different types of laundry iron holders have heretofore been developed and marketed for household use. Many of these prior iron holders are somewhat expensively constructed with unusually heavy bases to obviate overturning of the iron while hot, and other types of these previously constructed iron holders have involved complex assemblies with an undue number of parts and consequent high production costs, but with little aid or features of advantage to the housewife for enabling quick or simple attachment and detachment in operative position on a board. The present invention is directed to the provision of an iron holder which obviates the disadvantages and expensive costs of these prior laundry iron holders.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved laundry iron holder which is of appreciably lightweight construction for ready handling by the average housewife; which can be inexpensively produced; and which is highly eflicacious in its functional characteristics to hold an iron in a non-hazardous, spaced relationship with respect to an ironing board.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an improved iron holder of the indicated nature which is additionally characterized by the provision therein of a unique spring clamp for rigidly yet detachably securing the holder in operative position to a work table or ironing board.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a laundry iron holder of the aforementioned character which includes resilient clamping ears for firmly grasping the iron at the sides to prevent lateral movement thereof and permitting, in conjunction with the spring handle clamp, the carrying of the iron with and on the holder from place to place at will.

Other objects of the invention, together with some of the advantageous features thereof, will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the precise embodiment shown, nor to the precise arrangement of the various parts thereof, as my invention, as defined in the appended claims, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention in operative position attached to a work table or ironing board.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the invention with laundry iron thereon, and with the embodiment in operative position clamped to an ironing board.

Fig. 3 isa side elevational view, inreduced size, of the preferred embodiment of my invention indicating the manner of suspending the same from a wall bracket, either with or without the iron contained therein.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational and inverted view of the preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a wall bracket.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the improved iz-indle spring clamp forming a part of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a development of the main body portion of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a development of the spring handle clamp.

In its preferred form, the improved laundry iron holder of my invention preferably comprises a substantially continuous sheet defining a base and an upper plate; said base having a guide thereon and said upper plate having upstanding ears on opposite sides thereof, together with a spring handle clamp slidably retained in said guide.

As particularly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6 of the annexed drawings, the body portion of my improved laundry iron holder preferably is stamped from a continuous sheet H which may be relatively thin section steel or aluminum or other relatively light-weight metal. Or, if desired, the main body portion of the holder can be molded from a suitable plastic material, such as Tenite or any phenolic or urea condensate. As shown, the sheet I l is turned upon itself and formed so as to provide a base I2 and an upper plate I 3 with the base disposed substantially horizontal and the upper plate I3 inclined with respect to the horizontal so that the tip end thereof is slightly lower than the rear thereof. The sheet I l is so cut and stamped as to afford a relatively wide portion I4 on upper plate l3 at the rear thereof which tapers to a relatively narrow and pointed tip 16. Moreover, the sides of the upper plate 13 are serrated and upturned so as to provide a pair of upstanding ears I! and I8 on each side of the upper plate in opposed pairs for resiliently gripping the sides E9 of an iron 20 when seated. on the upper plate i3, all as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, which shows the nose 2| of the iron fitted between opposing front ears I! of the upper plate and the front tip of the iron overlying the front tip N of the upper plate. The material of which the main body portion of th holder is formed conveniently is struck out to afford reinforcing ribs 22 on the surface of the upper plate as well as reinforcing ribs 23 on the rear of base "2 and reinforcing ribs 24 on the front -portion-of the base. As shown, the base I2 is bent upon itself to afford front and rear upstanding sections merging with a flat, substantially horizontal portion 25. Moreover, the front upstanding section of the base is further bent upon itself to provide a projection 26 for securing th base l2 andplate is rigidly together either by means of welding or by other extraneous fasteners, not shown.

In accordance with'my invention, the horizontal extending portion 25 of thebase I2 is cut out and struck up to provide a handle clamp guide 3! consisting of two opposed strips 32 and 33 disposed substantially normal to the horizontal portion 25 of the base. Each of the strips 32 and '33 is formed with an-elongatedslot 34 therein forslidably receiving in the stripsa guide retaining pin 36 carried by a'spring handle clamp 3'! which is depicted in perspective view in Fig. 5 and in development, without the pin 36, in-Fig. '7 of the drawings. As shown in Fig. 5, the spring handle clamp 3'5 is partially turned upon itself to afford a straight portion 38 and a double-curved portion 39 and provide a finger-loop 40 by which the holder can be carried about when the spring handle clamp has been fitted into the guide 3i in operative position, as indicated 'in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. The loop 40 of the spring handle clamp serves to receive'the end 4| of a work table or ironing board 42, see Figs. 1 and 2, with the double-curved portion 39 of the clamp underlying the board 42 and resiliently bearing against the same to clamp the holder to the work table or board. It should be observed that the front portion of the base I2 is cut away, as indicated at '23, Fig. 6, to permit passing of the clamp 31 therethrough when assembling the same in the guide 35. The opening 43 is sufiiciently wide to permit the clamp 3! to be pushed inwardly to ward the front of the holder and, in this forwardly pushed position, the holder can be stored away in a relatively small space on a closet shelf. On the other hand, the holder may be suspended by means of the handle clamp 31 on a suitable bracket M fastened to a wall 45, see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 and such suspension bracketcan be strong enough to suspend not only the holder itself but the holder and laundry iron contained thereon. The handle clamp 31 is sufiiciently strong and is so positively attached to theguide 31 that theiron holder containin the laundry iron can be picked up and carried about readily by the housewife. Moreover, to insure that th handle clamp does not become dislodged from the guide 3|, I preferably form the retaining pin 36 with enlarged or ball ends 46 thereon.

The improved laundry iron holder of my present invention is of inexpensive construction since it can be stamped and formed from thin section, relatively light-weight metal or rhdl'ded from a relatively inexpensive plastic "material. The holder has a minimum of parts but is of such rigid and compact construction that it can be handled readily by the average housewife and moved about with an iron thereon with ease. Moreover, the

inwardly'bent, resilient ears formed on the upper .plate for retaining the iron prevents dislodgement of the iron. Further, the rigidity of the clamping action-between the spring handle clamp 31 and the work table or ironing board prevents tipping of the'holderand the-iron so that there -is"litt1e likelihood of damage resulting from handling the iron.

It also is to-be observed that when'an ironis disposed on theholder, the'ba'se of the iron does not :rest directly on the upper plate due to the presence of the reinforcing ribs -22 which hold the iron in spaced relationship to the plate, as :indicate'din Fig. 2,'thus affording an air flow between the iron and the base preventing undue heating thereof witha hot iron onthe holder.

I claim:

1. 'Aniron holdercom'prlsing a base, an upper plate supported above :and in spaced relationship to said base, a guide on said base comprising a .pair of'spaced elongated-strips disposed normally tosaid base; each of said strips having an elongated slot therein, and a spring handle clamp slidably retained in said slots of said guide; said clamp being adapted to beremovably-fitted to'an' ironing board-or the like for rigidly fasteningthe holder thereto.

2. An-iron holder comprising a base, anupper plate supported in spaced relationship to said base, a guide on said 'base comprising -a pair of spaced-elongated strips disposed normally tosa'ld base; each of I said-strips having an elongated -slot therein, a spring handle clamp consisting of a loop portion for receiving the end of a work-table =or ironing board anda slotted straighttportion,

and a retaining pindisposed transversely of-said clamp and extending through the slot of the straight portion thereof as well as through the elongated slots of said strips to effect slidable mounting-ofsaid clamp on the holder.

STANLEY Y. SHEPARD, SR.

REFERENCES The following references are of record-in the file 'Of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,565,295 Shipp Dec. 15,1925 2,394,518 Kindorf Feb. 5,-1946 2,434,225 Prior -Jan. -6, 1048 

